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I’m Bob Larson. A recent hearing of the House Natural Resources Committee was held to take comments on whether or not Pacific Northwest salmon and dams can co-exist.

U.S. Representative Dan Newhouse says the debate has really escalated over the past couple of years …

NEWHOUSE … “The issue driving right now is a judge’s decision that mandated additional spill over the dams which, when you spill that water it’s no longer available for power generation and lowers the lake levels so there’s concerns from the transportation industry as well as irrigators and others.”

Newhouse says the big question is, was the judge’s decision to increase spill over the dams based on sound science…

NEWHOUSE … “Most of the witnesses were of the opinion that it was not actually increasing spill increases the amount of dissolved gases in the water which is actually detrimental to the salmon.”

He says, with cooperation, we can find the answers …

NEWHOUSE … “What we really should be doing is making sure that the decisions made, as it relates to salmon, are based on sound science and, really, should a federal judge, a single person, be making those decisions instead of the experts, the researchers, the scientists, tribes, all of the people that are impacted by operations of the dams.”

Newhouse says the dams provide barging and irrigation for agriculture and flood control for communities.

The committee will accept additional public comment at naturalresources.house.gov